Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah

Islamabad, Pakistan2004 - 2005 IPF Fellow

Affiliation: International Labor Organization Advisor on Bonded Labour; Ministry of Women and Social Development National Projects Coordinator, Pakistan.e-mail: shah@policy.huwebsite: http://www.policy.hu/shah/

Fellow project2004 - 2005: Pakistani madrassahs: Consequences for democracy and a free societyThe objectives of the project are to conduct empirical research on Madrassahs to bridge the gap between the demand for educational reform and lack of understanding about the political role of Madrassahs; via structured and semi-structure interviews, analyze stakeholders' positions on the issue of Madrassah regulation (including managers and teachers at madrassahs and schools, leaders and officials at local government, alumni and donors, senior officials from relevant governmental institutions, and members of the Pakistan Madrassah Educational Board); identify gaps in the present legal and financial framework and suggest future options; formulate politically possible strategies and policies on the reform of the Madrassah system; and write a research and policy paper for national public policy institutions and public policy framers responsible for the Madrassah Reform Strategy including members of the parliament, federal and provincial governments, public sector training institutions, and international donor organizations, especially USAID and the World Bank.